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Physics 1 > P1 Part B > Flashcards

P1 Part B Flashcards

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1
Q

List four non renewable energy resources

A

Coal
Oil
Natural gas
Nuclear power

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2
Q

What makes these resources non-renewable and why do people believe we should be moving away from using them?

A

They will all run out one day and they damage the environment.

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3
Q

List as many renewable energy sources you can think of (8)

A 
Wind
Waves/Tides
Solar
Hydroelectric
Geothermal
Food
Biofuels
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4
Q

What is the process that occurs in a typical power station (4 main steps)?

A
  • Fossil fuel is burnt to convert stored chemical energy into thermal energy
  • This energy is used to heat water (or air) and produce steam
  • The steam turns a turbine, converting thermal energy into kinetic
  • The turbine is connected to a generator that converts kinetic to electrical energy
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5
Q

How is wind power harnessed?

A

By using lots of wind turbines, their rotating blades turn an internal generator (kinetic to electrical energy)

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6
Q

How many wind turbines would it take to produce the same amount of energy as a regular coal burning power station?

A

1500

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7
Q

What are the pros (4) and cons (3) of using solar power

A

Pros

  • Energy is free after point of installation
  • They are a reliable energy source (in the daytime), even in cloudy countries
  • It doesn’t pollute it’s surroundings
  • Solar power isn’t going to run out (until the sun dies)

Cons

  • Initial costs can be high
  • It is very expensive and not practical to connect solar cells to the National Grid
  • Many people believe solar cells are unsightly
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8
Q

Define hydroelectric power

A

The conversion of kinetic energy from flowing water into electricity, through the use of turbines and generators

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9
Q

List some advantages (3) and disadvantages (4) of using biofuel

A

Advantages

  • They produce less carbon dioxide than regular fossil fuels
  • Provide more income for farmers
  • Could reduce fuel prices if they brought competition to the market

Disadvantages

  • Ethical concerns: plants could be used to feed
  • More manual labour is necessary
  • They are not totally carbon-neutral
  • Large areas of forest are cleared to make room for crops
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10
Q

How does a nuclear power station work?

A

Just the same as a regular fossil-fuel burning power station, other than the fact that nuclear fission (of plutonium or uranium) is what creates the heat to make the steam that drives the turbines

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11
Q

Non renewable energy sources are linked to environmental issues, list as many of these as you can (6)

A
  • CO2 emissions (greenhouse gas affect)
  • Burning coal and oil produces sulfur dioxide - causes acid rain
  • Coal mining destroys the landscape (particularly open-cast)
  • Oil spillages can kill animals and destroy habitats
  • Nuclear waste is dangerous and difficult to dispose of
  • Nuclear power carries the risk of a disaster (eg. Chernobyl in 1986)
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12
Q

What does CCS stand for and what is it?

A

Carbon capture and storage

CO2 emissions are collected from power stations before they are released into the atmosphere, it can be pumped into empty gas/oil fields.

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13
Q

What is the National grid?

A

A network of pylons and cables that covers the whole of Britain and allows electricity to be generated and distributed anywhere on the grid.

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14
Q

Why doe the National grid use high voltage rather than high current when transporting electricity?

A

High current creates a lot of waste energy (in the form of heat).

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15
Q

What is the purpose of step-up and step-down transformers?

A

Step up transformers get the voltage high enough (400,000V) to be transported efficiently, this must then be ‘stepped down’ to a safe voltage that is not dangerous to consumers.

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16
Q

Pros (4) and cons (4) of overhead cables?

A

Pros

  • Low set up cost
  • Easy to access
  • Easy to set up
  • Minimal disturbance to land

Cons

  • Lots of maintenance necessary
  • Unsightly
  • Affected by weather
  • Less reliable than underground cables

Now consider the pros and cons of underground cables in comparison.

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17
Q

What do waves do?

A

Transfer energy from one place to another without transferring matter

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18
Q

Define the amplitude of a wave

A

The displacement from the rest position to the crest

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19
Q

What is wavelength?

A

The length of a full cycle of waves (eg. from crest to crest)

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20
Q

What is frequency and in what unit is it given?

A

Frequency is the number of waves passing a certain point per second. It is measured in Hertz (Hz).

1 Hz is one wave per second.

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21
Q

What are transverse wave vibrations like?

A

They are perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer of the wave.

22
Q

What are longitudinal wave vibrations like?

A

They work in the same direction as the energy transfer of the wave.

23
Q

Name three types of wave that are longitudinal

A

Sound
Ultrasound
Seismic

(Light and electro magnetic waves are transverse)

24
Q

What is the formula for wave speed and what units are used?

A

Wave speed = frequency x wavelength

m/s = hZ x m

25
Q

How do we rely on wave reflection?

A

It allows us to see objects. Light bounces off of them into our eyes.

26
Q

What is the law of reflection?

A

Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection

27
Q

What happens to sound waves and light waves when they pass across the boundary between two substances with different densities, such as air and glass?

A

They change speed, this causes them to change direction and this effect is called refraction.

28
Q

At what angle does refraction occur?

A

Any other than normal incidence (90 degrees) .

29
Q

Which technology relies on total internal reflection?

A

Fibre optics

30
Q

What is diffraction?

A

The process by which waves ‘spread out’ once they have passed through a gap or obstacle.

31
Q

How is the amount of diffraction determined?

A

The smaller the gap, in relation to wavelength, the more the waves are diffracted.

32
Q

List the spectrum of (7) electro magnetic waves with increasing frequency and energy (decreasing wavelength)

A 
Radio (& TV) waves
Microwaves
Infrared
Visible light rays (R, O, Y, G, B)
Ultra violet rays
X rays
Gamma rays
33
Q

In what circumstance do all the types of EM wave travel at the same speed?

A

In a vaccum

34
Q

What are radio waves predominantly used for?

A

Communication

35
Q

What is special about radio waves with a long wavelength (1-10km) ?

A

They can diffract around the surface of hills and the Earth.

36
Q

How can short- wave (10m-100m) radio signals be received at long distances?

A

They are reflected off the ionosphere. Medium wave signals can do this too but it depends on the atmospheric conditions and time of day.

37
Q

How can microwaves be used? (2)

A
  • In satellite communication

- To heat food

38
Q

Two uses of infrared waves?

A
  • In wireless remote controls (uses patterns to send different commands)
  • In optical fibres the signal is carried as pulses (eg. phone lines)
39
Q

How does photography use visible light?

A
  • A lens focuses visible light onto light sensitive film or electronic sensor
40
Q

What is sound created by?

A

Mechanical vibrations, passed through the surrounding medium as a series of compressions

41
Q

Does sound travel faster in gases or solids?

A

Solids

42
Q

What does the volume of sound rely on?

A

The amplitude of the wave

43
Q

What does the frequency of sound waves do to how we hear it?

A

The higher the frequency, the higher the pitch of the sound

44
Q

Sound waves can be both reflected and refracted, true or false?

A

True

45
Q

What observation has caused scientists to believe that the Universe is expanding?

A

Light from distant galaxies has the same patterns as it does here but at a slightly lower frequency, this is known as red shift.

46
Q

Outline the Doppler effect:

A
  • The frequency of a source moving towards you will seem higher and its wavelength shorter
  • The frequency of a source moving away from you will seem lower and it’s wavelength will seem longer

(a good example are the sound waves from a car, the sounds seems to be lower if it is moving away)

47
Q

How long ago is the Big Bang said to have occurred?

A

14 billion years ago

48
Q

What scientific theory rivals the Big Bang and what discovery posed issues with it?

A

The Steady State theory (claims the Universe has always existed as it is now and always will do)

When the cosmic microwave background radiation was discovered, it provided strong evidence that The Big Bang was more likely

49
Q

How is cosmic microwave background radiation explained?

A

After the Big Bang, whilst the Universe was extremely hot, everything in the Universe emitted a high frequency radiation. As the universe expanded, it cooled and the radiation dropped in frequency and is now measured as microwaves.

50
Q

What is the largest issue with the Big Bang Theory at present?

A

It doesn’t explain what initiated the explosion from which the Universe came into being.

Physics 1 (2 decks)

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